France's rail system plagued by attempted sabatoge incidents

The TGV, France's high-speed rail network, was plagued over the weekend by a series of unexplained - and most likely related - attempts to derail several TGV trainsets loaded with passengers. The attackers apparently jammed iron bars into the overhead power cables at four different locations around the city of Paris, forcing SNCF (the national rail operator) to suspend or delay hundred of trains. French authorities believe that the attacks were related and performed by technically-savvy sabatoeurs. After all, I don't know about you, but I don't think that I know how to neutralize a 25,000 volt power line long enough to stick a metal bar up there. Nor would I want to try.

In a seperate incident on Sunday afternoon in a different region of France, a TGV train traveling at 90 mph slammed into a couple of concrete slabs that had been placed on the tracks. The train did not derail and suffered only minor damage, and police are investigating whether that incident was related.

[Via The Gulf Times]